Joe Burrow: 'I went to school at Ohio State and I played football at LSU'

NS_headshot_clearbackgroundby:Nick Schultz•11/08/23•

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When it comes to players who transferred to another school before going to the NFL, the debate becomes which fan base should “claim” them. For Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, that conversation is between Ohio State and LSU.

Burrow played three years at Ohio State before spending two years at LSU. In his second and final season with the Tigers, he won the Heisman Trophy and helped the program win the national championship — considered one of the best teams in recent memory.

But when it comes to which school should “claim” him, Burrow shared how he looks at his situation.

“I always say, I went to school at Ohio State and I played football at LSU,” Burrow said. “That’s how I think about it.”

Burrow sat out his first year at Ohio State in 2015 as Cardale Jones and Braxton Miller led the Buckeyes’ quarterback room. He then served as J.T. Barrett’s primary backup in 2016, and saw Dwayne Haskins emerge as Ohio State’s QB2 in 2017.

After that season, Burrow decided to transfer and made his way to LSU. He immediately became the starter in 2018 and put up solid numbers, totaling 2,894 yards and 16 touchdowns. But his breakout year came in 2019 as he threw for 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns to help the Tigers rattle off a perfect 15-0 record to bring home the national championship.

Joe Burrow’s impressive college career has translated to success in the NFL

That helped him become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and he made an immediate impact on the Bengals after they took him. He suffered a season-ending injury as a rookie, but has been nothing short of spectacular since. In 2021, Burrow returned to completed 70.4% of his passes for 4,611 yards and 34 touchdowns to win Comeback Player of the Year and help lead the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance.

The next season, Burrow finished fourth in the MVP voting as he threw for 4,475 yards and 35 touchdowns. Cincinnati finished 12-4 in 2022 and made another AFC Championship appearance, where the Kansas City Chiefs got the victory in the rematch from 2021.

This year didn’t go the way Burrow wanted to start as he worked his way back from a calf injury. He’s kicked it into gear as of late, though, throwing for 10 touchdowns over his last four games to help the Bengals turn things around and bring a 5-3 record into this week’s game against the Houston Texans.